Twenty-Four Hours
by ThoseLonelyNights
Summary: Takes place right after 3x18. Killer Frost is back and on the loose. Team Flash works 24 hours straight in a desperate search for their friend. But they aren't sure who they'll find if they do find her.
1. Chapter 1

Episode 3x18 ended up better than I expected! Takes place right where that episode ends so spoilers. Review, please; thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Flash or any of its characters.

Twenty-Four Hours

Time. That's what had always been Barry's true nemesis. Since the lightning struck him that night, it was all about time. Dr. Wells—the evil one—taught him to get faster. Eventually, he was fast enough to defeat Reverse Flash. Next, he had to get faster than Zoom. Now, with Savatar, the clock ticked backwards. How long until May 23rd? Could he be ready in time? For the so-called Fastest Man Alive, he sure did struggle with time.

"Going to the future?" Iris echoed his idea, her forehead wrinkled. Joe sat beside her, arm still around his daughter, and looked at Barry with wide eyes. Barry opened his mouth to speak but was stopped at the sound of his phone going off. Pulling it out of his jean pocket, it flashed red. An emergency alert from Cisco, who was still at S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry felt his body go cold.

Thus begun a hard twenty-four hours for the speedster.

Joe and Iris felt the rush of wind and, when they looked again, Barry was gone and hadn't even remembered to shut the door on his way out. Joe, with his sixth sense he developed from being a father, got up and snatched his keys from the coffee table and followed.

Hour 1

Barry flashed into S.T.A.R. Labs and gaped at the sight before him. The place was a mess. HR was back and had his face buried in his hands, Julian was brushing away shards of glass off him and even more shards were scattered around the floor, and Caitlin was gone. Her bed lay empty and there was a slight chill in the air. Cisco was already at the computers. When he looked up from the monitors, Barry saw the tears running down his face. Barry was quick enough to figure out what happened but he feared if he said it out loud-it would become true.

"What took you so long?" Cisco questioned, his voice bitter and broken. Barry clenched his fists tight when he caught sight of the familiar necklace in Cisco's left hand. He could picture her in his mind: piercing white eyes and platinum hair. Cold scowl on her face. _'Alchemy can't help you. We can. I promise,'_ He promised her to protect her and to save her from the presence in her head. Now, she was gone. She slipped through his fingers.

"Where's Caitlin? What happened?" Barry demanded.

"Someone ripped off her necklace!" Cisco looked past Barry and glared at a shaken Julian.

"I did what I had to. She was dying!" Julian argued, his accent thick.

"Caitlin's Killer Frost?" the name burned on Barry's tongue. A fresh set of tears fell from Cisco's eyes. Barry ran off, grabbing his suit on his way, right after ordering a sharp, "Find her!"

Cisco hung the necklace over one of the computer monitors before continuing, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Had to check for any significant temperature drops. Barry ran through the streets of Central City, looking for any sign of their friend. They all hoped she hadn't managed to get very far. HR paced back and forth, hands racking through his short hair, mumbling, "This can't be good. This can't be good."

Julian took a seat beside Cisco. That had been Caitlin's spot before. Cisco had the undeniable urge to punch Julian in the face to get his anger out. But that would just waste time. They used the same technique as last time Caitlin was missing. It was a painfully long wait until they got a hit. Cisco practically jumped out of his char and exclaimed, "Barry! Significant temperature change on 7th street!"

"On it!" He heard the speedster's response. Cisco wiped the tears from his face but more kept falling. In his head, he begged for her not to be lost, ' _I can't lose her too.'_

 _Cisco sat on his couch and stared at the floor below. Every time he blinked, he could see his brother's face. Dante was such a happy smile. He had a smile that his mother claimed would brighten up the world. Cisco couldn't deny that Dante had that charm about him. When they were teens, Dante was one to make all the girls swoon. The thought of youthful, lively Dante brought tears to Cisco's eyes. Lost in these thoughts, he was startled when a plate of food was placed in front of him. He blinked away the tears and looked up to the warm brown eyes of Caitlin Snow._

 _"I'm not hungry," Cisco mumbled. Caitlin's smile fell. She placed the plate of fresh food on the coffee table and kneeled in front of Cisco. She reached for his hand and he allowed it, but kept it limp._

 _"You need to eat," Caitlin warned him. Cisco didn't respond. He hadn't had an appetite for days. When he first got the phone call about Dante's accident, he felt as if he was going to vomit. That feeling remained all throughout the hospital trip and the goodbyes said. His brother was dead. Gone forever. Cisco had held his crying mother in his arms, knowing he could not comfort her. He didn't know what to say. Unlike, Dante. "Want to watch a movie?" Caitlin asked, breaking Cisco out of his thoughts._

 _He shook his head. Caitlin squeezed his hand._

 _"Ok, now I know it's really bad," Caitlin sighed. Still, Cisco did not pay attention. He wasn't even looking at her. "Cisco," She called his name so he met her eyes again, "You can't think about the pain all day. It isn't going to help. You will make yourself sick. Please, watch a movie with me. One I haven't seen but you have."_

 _Cisco faked a smile and then reached for the remote on the couch. Caitlin sat beside Cisco and leaned into him. The warmth of her body made him feel less alone._

 _The two watched the movie. Caitlin made sure to ask lots of questions to keep Cisco talking. She even managed to convince him to take a couple bites of the food she made him. When the movie ended, Cisco called it a night. He wanted to ask her to stay the night so, in case he had nightmares, he wouldn't wake up alone. Cisco couldn't find the words to ask but he didn't have to. Caitlin, without getting permission, began to make a bed on Cisco's couch. Cisco only smiled and wished her goodnight._

Tap. Tap. Tap. HR's drumstick tapped on the table. Each one threatening to snap Cisco's patience.

"Could you maybe stop?!" Cisco roared and then, with a huff, he continued back to his work. HR frowned and put his drumstick away. Cisco looked back at the snowflake necklace of Caitlin's. He felt his heart physically ache in pain at the sight.

"What is going on here?" Joe asked as he walked in the room. He looked at the dismay of the place and then to Cisco, who was trying his best to ignore all outside distractions. Julian kept his head low. Out of options, Joe turned to HR with a wave of his hands, asking for answers. HR pressed his fist to his forehead and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Apparently, Caitlin had a seizure and her heart…stopped. When we took off her necklace, there was an ice blast and BOOSH! …Killer Frost escaped," HR explained, twirling his drumstick with twitching fingers. Joe felt a twang of guilt in his chest and looked to the computers, but their imagery and words meant nothing to the simple detective.

"I-I can't find her, guys. She's not here anymore. Any new hits?" Barry's voice came through. Cisco couldn't hold back the sob from escaping. His throat was too tight to answer Barry's question. Joe put a hand on his shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"We're gonna find her," Joe said, in that same dad-voice he spoke in when talking to Barry. It didn't take away the pain but it eased the tension in Cisco's chest enough for him to take a deep breath.

Shall be continued in another chapter, if you'd like. I'm just way into this show and I get so excited when I see the new episodes! We won't be seeing the next episode for two weeks, this time! So, to pass the time I thought I may continue writing since the last one went over, fairly, well enough. And I love writing about my fave character, Dr. Caitlin Snow!


	2. Chapter 2

Ah! So long without my Flash TV show. I don't really watch a lot of TV because I'm pretty busy so this is the one show that I make time for. Thanks for your support; you all are so nice! Um, someone asked about the pairings in this fic. I think it'll mainly be on friendship, since the show seems pretty heavy on the romantic relationships right now. I am sticking to canon relationships from the show as much as I can for this fic. Plus, I'm total shipper trash and ship multiple different couples for this show, which seems to be abnormal in the fandom as there are some intense shipping wars.

Hour 1

Barry made it to the location Cisco gave and it was evident that Caitlin had been there. Frost coated the front entrance of the shops on the streets and a thick layer of ice covered the sidewalk. Pedestrians had slipped and fallen; but there appeared to be no serious injuries. Crowds gathered in the streets puzzled by the sight of ice in late March. Barry ran the perimeter for any sign of their friend. The ice covered almost a whole block. Barry could feel his heart thudding in his chest. He had no idea what state of mind Caitlin would be even if he found her. It was then when an odd figure caught his eye. He saw movement down a short alleyway and immediately flashed there. The shaded area seemed empty besides some blowing trash and an abandoned shopping cart the rolled by the push of the wind until it hit the brick wall of a building.

"I-I can't find her guys. She's not here anymore. Any new hits?" Barry asked. When he didn't hear any response from Cisco, Barry frowned, a feeling of hopelessness washing over him, then he saw something white in the corner of his eye. He followed down the alley onto the next street over. He stopped in his tracks, suddenly feeling paralyzed. She had her back turned to him but there was no mistaking her hair. She was still barefoot and walked with the same sort of grace. Barry felt his throat tighten and he wasn't sure how to approach her. He debated whether he should tell Cisco first or confront Caitlin. Finally, he decided before she had escaped his sight.

"Caitlin!" He called her name; his voice sounded foreign to him. No answer or a response. She didn't turn around or react. Barry took in a breath and then called out, "Killer Frost."

The woman stopped. She slowly turned around and Barry felt his body go cold just by looking at her eyes. No longer were they a soft brown. Barry used to always feel relief when he saw Caitlin's eyes. It had once been a sight he enjoyed. Whenever something went wrong and he was injured, she was there as his personal doctor. More times than he'd like to admit had he looked into her eyes as his vision was blurring out of focus and he thought it would be his last moments of sight. He always made it through; she always saved him. Now, staring at the eyes of Killer frost that seemed to glow, it made him nervous.

"Barry, what's going on?" Cisco's voice rang in his ear. Barry ignored him and took a shaking step forward. Killer Frost gave a smirk.

"Hey, cutie," Killer Frost greeted him. Barry knew it wasn't Caitlin. Before, even when her powers threatened to take control, she always recognized her friends. The way she stared at him…he was a stranger to her. Barry felt his heart sink.

"Caitlin," Barry said, warning in his tone. Killer Frost showed no sign of recognition of that name. Instead, she shot her hand out and Barry, even as fast as he is, barely had time to react to the blast of cold that hit him. He stumbled but managed to remain on his feet. He felt the bite of anger and ran towards her. Killer Frost's sharp icicles shot towards him. Barry managed to dodge, making a mental note that she had tried this tactic before. He didn't have a plan for how to approach her. Barry didn't want to fight but, soon enough, he was mere inches before her. He went for the more passive attack and tackled her. Killer Frost, with a sharp growl, grabbed onto him. Even through his suit, Barry felt the burn of her ice-cold hands. He yelped in pain, giving Killer Frost an opportunity to shove him off her. In their quick quarrel, Barry felt a stabbing pain in his back. He looked behind him and could see that she had managed to stab him just below his right shoulder blade. Barry reached behind him and pulled the icicle out of him. He looked at the long, sharp object to see it coated in his own bright red blood. Suddenly, another blast of cold hit him. It knocked the breath out of his lungs and stung at his eyes. When he looked up, Killer Frost was gone and the street was covered in ice. Barry cursed himself for getting distracted.

No idea which direction she had run, Barry tried his best to track her. He was slower now, with the pain from his still bleeding wound. There was no sign of her. It was as if she had disappeared. Barry pulled at his mask in frustration. It was then when he heard the screeching of tires and a loud metallic crash. He cursed under his breath and rushed to the scene of the accident. The roads were slipper with ice and three cars had crashed into each other. The Flash managed to help those in the crash from their totaled cars. He let Killer Frost escape.

Hour 2

Barry sat on the bed at Star Labs. Iris had just finished placing a bandage over the wound on his back. It was nothing serious and his rapid healing abilities had fixed most of the damage. Iris rubbed soothing circles in Barry's back as he looked off, eyes unfocused, into the distance. Joe came by to his side, sympathy in his eyes.

"I am so sorry," Joe said. Barry looked up at his father-figure and gave a polite nod. He didn't know what to say. It wasn't Joe's fault that this happened. Caitlin wouldn't have been mad at him for doing whatever he could to save his daughter. No one could have seen this coming. No one would have guessed this would have been her demise. It seemed so simply. Temporary band-aids over the cracks forming in their friend's mind. The handcuffs and then the necklace used to subdue her powers. Barry now wondered if those devices were ever able to rid Caitlin of Killer Frost's voice in her own head. He had heard the voice of her alter ego saying things Barry knew Caitlin wouldn't say. Maybe they never got rid of the voice in her head. Had it been torturing her this whole time?

"She didn't even recognize me. She looked at me like a stranger," Barry sighed. At this statement, Cisco turned on his heels and left the room. Barry gave his friends the regular, 'I'll talk to him/her' look before following behind Cisco, slowly as his back still ached. Cisco had walked through the hallway and made it to the elevator. There he stopped, resting against the wall and closing his eyes. He could still vividly imagine the way her eyes had closed just before her whole body started convulsing. _Caitlin didn't deserve this._

 _Caitlin never deserved any of what had happened to her. He was there in the building, all those years ago, where he heard her painful scream of her fiancé's name. The particle accelerator had supposedly killed her fiancé. Cisco had seen them together, working side-by-side. They were happy together, complimented each other well. Ronnie was charismatic and energetic. Caitlin was calm and collected. When she thought she lost him, it was as if she had lost her light. He would watch her from her desk, emotionless and stone-faced. He had almost forgotten what her smile looked like. Her movements were robotic. She came to work exactly on-time. She ate her lunch slowly and consciously and alone. Then, she would leave from work and drive straight home to her house. Cisco would entertain her with talks of his favorite TV shows and movies. She knew most but it was clear that she hadn't even been watching much TV when she was at home. So, he thought of other things to talk about. Music, books, the weather, science. She liked talking about science and their job. It was her passion. He would come up with random scientific questions or theories and together they would discuss. When Barry, this stranger who was struck by lightning, showed up at their lab, their life changes. For both of them. And he hoped it helped Caitlin the most._

 _Ronnie had come back. It was some miracle. Cisco had almost forgotten what it was like to have Ronnie around again. Before their Team Flash days, Ronnie and Cisco were good friends too. "With guys like us, where the stereotype that smart guys aren't good looking come from?!" They would laugh. It made Caitlin smile. It was nice. However, life is cruel and things take a turn for the worst. Ronnie was firestorm, a meta-human who was a merging of him and Professor Stein. Together, they had incredible power. With great power comes great responsibility and Ronnie was someone who would rush to protect the ones he loves. It wasn't a surprise when he rushed off, as firestorm, to help Barry save the day. What surprised them was when Barry returned with only Martin Stein. Caitlin was stunned for a moment. She looked to Barry for some kind of reassurance. He could give her none. Caitlin had collapsed into Barry's arms in a fit of tears._

 _When Jay showed up, with his charm and good looks, it was no surprise that Caitlin was amazed by him. Cisco joked about her getting all starry eyed over the new speedster in town. He would regret those jokes later when they learned Jay was Zoom and Zoom was Hunter. It was confusing. However, before they learned that their friend was actually their nemesis, he had tricked them into thinking he had died. A time remnant. Zoom's hand shoved right through the man's chest like butter. Like how, in another time line, Cisco was murdered by Reverse Flash. It still caused chest pain when he thought about it. Caitlin was shook. She stared in disbelief. Another of their friends killed right in front of them. Cisco didn't miss beat, moving to his best friend's side. A hand around her and the other holding her hand. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening again!" Caitlin sobbed._

 _Cisco stayed by her side. He held her and ran his fingers through her hair to try and soothe her. She just continued to cry. During which she whispered, "Why? Why do all these bad things happen to me?"_

 _Cisco didn't have an answer. Caitlin eventually fell asleep but her question kept Cisco awake._

"Cisco," Barry's voice called from behind him. Cisco felt anger rise from the pit in his stomach. He reluctantly turned to face Barry who, with bright green eyes, reassured him, "I am going to find her. You know that."

"You!" Cisco was speaking before his mind even registered the fact, "You caused this! Flashpoint gave Caitlin these powers. Flashpoint caused her this pain. And you caused Flashpoint!"

Barry felt the claws of guilt wrap around his throat with Cisco's words. He knows he broke the rules of time and space or whatever. The world was always going to be different because of him. It had effected everyone in the world. Caitlin had fallen victim to it too. He reminded himself of Iris' words, "You are not god, Barry."

"You took away my brother and then you take away my best friend too!" Cisco, in an angry huff, shoved Barry with both hands. Barry stumbled back and had forgotten the reassuring words of his girlfriend. He fed off Cisco's anger now.

"She was my friend too!" Barry yelled back. When he saw the tears in Cisco's eyes, he wished he could take it back.

"Where were you when her heart stopped, huh?! You weren't there!"

The two boys stared each other down. Barry added, pain fueling his voice, "I know I shouldn't have messed with the timeline! I regret it every day. But yelling right now isn't going to help Caitlin."

"Let's keep looking," Cisco wiped furiously at his eyes to rid himself of his tears. The two boys didn't speak to each other after that. But they did keep their truce for now and returned to the task at hand: Finding Caitlin/Killer Frost.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow! If you are still reading this, I am amazed. I'm not that good. Sorry for the delay. Life gets busy, you know the drill. So, I don't want this to be split into twenty-four hours exactly because that would be a lot and it would get boring. I decided to just group hours to speed up the time for the fun feels. Reviews make me smile! Hope you all have a lovely day!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Flash or any of its characters.

Hour 5

Barry continued to search the city looking for their lost friend and, unfortunately, it was as if she had vanished completely. They wondered if she was wandering lost and confused with no memories of them walking around the streets all by herself. Cisco tried to vibe her. He would hold her necklace in his hand and focus his thoughts. Most of the time, it came up with nothing. Sometimes, he would get a flash of her face. Her features were pale white now. Only a close up of her face showed in his mind's eye. Cisco began to wonder if they weren't vibes at all but the image of his friend he wanted to see so badly. His mind was cruel playing tricks on him. He only wanted to see his friend safe. Sometimes, they were of her smiling.

Eventually, the night grew later and Iris and Joe went home. Julian tried to help but even he was running out of ideas. He didn't have any meta-human powers to help the team. The frustration and lack of sleep was already getting to them. Julian furiously rubbed at his eyes and his temples, as he had a growing headache. Fear loomed over every thought of his. He knew Caitlin had never wanted to become Killer Frost and he chosen to protect her from it. Yet they had all failed her. HR was oddly out-of-character and quiet. He was new to the team and still learning his place within Team Flash but even he found it hard to come up with optimistic comments constantly pumping up the team.

"Could you try finding her again? Vibing her?" Julian asked. Cisco dropped the pen in his hand that he was nervously clicking.

"I already told you: I'm not getting anything," Cisco said in a warning voice. Julian rubbed his tired eyes.

"I was merely trying to suggest something; anything."

"Well, you can shut it. This is your fault," Cisco sneered. HR stood up and moved in between the two to diffuse the tension.

"Come on, guys, chill, bring it down," HR shushed both of them, a drumstick in each hand. He twirled both at the same time.

"You pulled the necklace off. She didn't want to be Killer Frost!" Cisco continued to argue.

"That is true," HR pointed one of his drumsticks at Julian. The Britain shot HR a harsh look. HR pivoted back to Cisco and replied, "but you shouldn't be blaming anyone. That's not productive."

"You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same," Julian argued. Cisco frowned. He knew Julian was right. It was Cisco's idea in the first place. The tension in the air was heavy and dark.

"I'm sure we can find Caitlin. This had happened before, right?" HR suggested, motioning to Cisco. Julian flinched, remembering the time Caitlin had kidnapped him. He scorned her back them. She was the bad and he was the good; it was simple back then. Their relationship had already changed so quickly and Julian couldn't help but admit that Caitlin made him feel something new. A true happiness, a fierce protection over her, and a comfort in her presence. HR added, "Caitlin's memories can't be gone, just like that."

"Her heart may have stopped but brain activity doesn't stop right away, maybe that could be in our favor," Cisco sat back at his desk and looked up at Julian to confirm his theory. He grabbed a pen from the desk and chewed on the tip of it.

"Before…there was always still the presence of Caitlin. This time, she didn't even recognize Barry," Julian gave a heavy sigh.

"Bullshit. She's still there," Cisco argued, strongly. He again took Caitlin's necklace in his hands and, again, tried to vibe her location. When nothing came to him but tears flooding his eyes, he angrily threw it back onto the table.

"Maybe if you could act calmly, we could think of a new solution," Julian sneered.

"Shut up!" Cisco yelled in return. It was true: his emotions were boiling over the surface. Julian didn't say anything but he turned on his heels and left the building, grabbing his jacket on his way out. HR tried to think of something to say but even he came up empty.

Barry's heart was heavy when he went to Caitlin's apartment. Cisco was convinced that Caitlin's memories wouldn't have just disappeared. He tried not to expect much. However, when he saw the door had been open a crack, his heart leaped from his chest. He ran inside and called out for his friend, "Cait!"

No answer. The room felt slightly chilled. Which seemed odd. Since the first Killer Frost incident, Caitlin had admitted that her body temperature was slightly lower than normal. This resulted in her always being cold. She turned up the heat in S.T.A.R. Labs and had told Cisco that she had done the same to her home. Barry crept around the small apartment. It was a nice place, cozy, filled with things only Caitlin would have lying around. Some microscopes and lots of books. Barry wondered if Caitlin had downsized after the death of Ronnie. He never asked. It was then when Barry heard a creak of the wood floor behind him. He spun around only to find a very confused Julian, dark circles under his eyes already. Barry frowned. Julian opened his mouth to say something but Barry put a hand up, stopping Julian. Barry, in a quick blur, flashed around the apartment. No Caitlin. He and Julian were alone in the apartment.

"She's not here," Barry told Julian. Julian gave a weak nod. Barry watched him as he floated about Caitlin's space. He seemed in a daze. Barry asked, "Were you here earlier?"

"No. I just came here in hopes that we'd find her," Julian sighed. Barry felt sorry for Julian for once. Julian had no meta-human abilities yet he risked his safety coming here. Even if Caitlin did have memories, she wouldn't be in a stable state of mind. She had attacked Barry twice now and Julian was kidnapped once before. Caitlin was not herself

"The door was open," Barry explained.

"Perhaps Caitlin forgot to close it. Or has a house-sitter," Julian guessed. Barry shook his head.

"No, that doesn't sound like Caitlin." Barry began exploring the apartment. He moved towards the bedroom. Which was empty the first time he checked, but now he was looking for clues someone had been here and left. Following down the hallway, he noted that it was different than the last time he had been here. There were more pictures on the wall of all of them. Barry, Cisco, Iris, and Jessie had pictures displayed. He could remember taking these pictures. Each one everyone was smiling and laughing. Each in a frame and hung up at eye level. Barry entered the bedroom and a wave of sorrow hit him.

 _"Did you sneak a peek? At my goodssss?" Caitlin slurred. She had her finger pointing up at Barry. Her eyes were glossy and heavy. Barry could still smell the alcohol on her breath. He was still surprised by how she had quickly swallowed down glasses of liquor. She had finished off each of her drinks with a sloppy smile. Now, he needed to make sure she got into bed safely._

 _"I wouldn't be much of a hero if I did," Barry said. He helped pull the blankets over top of her. She nestled into her bed._

 _"Yeeaahhh, but it's okay if you peeked a little. You deserve a peek for all the good stuff you do," Caitlin replied. Barry had to chuckle at that. Caitlin gave him a sweet smile and he could feel she was being sincere, even though she was drunk. Caitlin had been by his side through it all. Although, she warned against him doing dangerous things constantly, she supported him in all he did as the Flash. She took care of him._

 _"Drink lots of water," He told her. He patted her hand and Caitlin nodded. Barry couldn't help but smile at her. Drunk Caitlin had been a sight to see._

 _"Thank you for tonight," Caitlin giggled and then added, in a hushed whisper of amazement, "I sang!"_

 _"Anytime." Barry got up to leave and let Caitlin sleep off the alcohol. He was sure she could take of herself now that she was safe at home._

 _"Hey, Barry," Caitlin's words stopped him, "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"_

 _Barry agreed and sat beside the bed. He tried to be soothing so she would drift off to sleep soon. Luckily, the alcohol helped. However, while she was trying to fall asleep, she looked off into the distance as if she were so deep in thought. Barry couldn't tell if it was the alcohol making her eyes water or her thoughts. Barry didn't ask. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Loneliness haunted Caitlin. He didn't need to be a genius to see it._

Barry sat on the bed, which was neatly made. He bowed his head as he remembered his lost friend. He wondered what would have happened if he had been there with Cisco and Julian the night Caitlin died. Could he have stopped her? Or perhaps, Caitlin was dead and there was nothing left of herself in that body. Killer Frost had taken over and ran freely. Caitlin was no longer there to stop her. Barry wasn't sure how he was going to react the next time that he had to look upon his friend's face and have to fight whatever was inhabiting her body now. Could he fight her? Barry hadn't even been able to fight off Earth-2 Killer Frost before. Barry clenched and unclenches his fist repeatedly, trying to work away his nervous thoughts. With a huff of air, Barry stood and walked back into the living room, where Julian was.

"Have you been here before?" Barry asked, curiously observing how Julian's eyes looked over Caitlin's choice of décor. Julian ran his fingers against the top of the couch and looked at the healthy, green plants Caitlin had owned. Julian didn't look up at Barry but shook his head, no, as an answer.

"I took her home from getting dinner once but never been inside," Julian answered, voice heavy with sorrow. Barry noted that he was mourning Caitlin too. Something that must have been different for Caitlin. Usually, she was the one to mourn the lost loved one but this time it was her that the world had lost. Barry awkwardly shifted forward, trying to think of something to comfort Julian, when he heard something crack under his shoe. Barry looked down and slowly lifted his foot. Broken glass and a picture frame. He took a step back and then delicately picked up the broken frame, trying to not cut his finger on the glass. The picture inside was falling out, the corner of it torn. Barry could barely hold the object in his hands as it was so cold it almost burned his skin. Cold.

Barry looked up at Julian with bright eyes as a sudden realization hit him. Julian moved to see what Barry was holding. The picture was of Ronnie and Caitlin on their wedding day. Barry had been there. It was of their kiss. Caitlin dressed in white and Ronnie smiling into the kiss.

"Who's that?" Julian questioned.

"Caitlin's husband," Barry explained, remembering Julian had missed years of their adventures. He was still new as of Barry's creation of Flashpoint. Barry tucked the picture back into its frame as best as he could. With a heavy sigh Barry added, "He died."

 _"I don't blame you for Ronnie's death. I blame myself," Caitlin had told him. She looked at him with those brown eyes and his heart felt relieved. All the guilt and shame and self-hate he had been holding inside of his chest was suddenly released. For months, he had worried that he had broken up the relationships with his loved ones. He believed he killed Ronnie and Eddie. Caitlin couldn't even hate him._

Julian cleared his throat nervously and that brought Barry back to reality. Julian shifted his weight on his feet suddenly uncomfortable. Barry held out the picture frame for him. Julian raised an eyebrow and reluctantly reached out to touch the frame. He jerked his hand back when he felt the ice-cold temperature of it.

"It's freezing," Julian said. The two boys exchanged a knowing look.

"Caitlin was here not long ago," Barry said, a smile breaking out on his face. Hope.

Hour 6

"I knew it," Cisco said, his voice breathy, after hearing Barry's story of what they found in Caitlin's apartment. A wide smile spread across his face so strong that it could have split his skull.

"Still, it does not explain why she couldn't recognize you," Julian said, looking to Barry, who was unusually stoic. He only shrugged at Julian's comment. He felt uneasy thinking that Killer Frost was in more control of Caitlin. As if, she had a split-personality and Killer Frost was dominant. Could Caitlin see what was happening and do nothing to stop it?

 _Barry had casually walked into S.T.A.R Labs, his arms swinging by his side. It was an oddly warm morning for the time of year and he was heading to the lab earlier than usual. Which was saying something, as he was usually late to things even with his super speed. Walking through the hallway, he heard a sudden crash. Fear shot through him and he took off. He knew no one else would be here this early, except maybe Caitlin if she didn't join Cisco on their usual Wednesday morning coffee run._

 _"Cait!" Barry called out, "Are you okay?"_

 _He noticed her sitting on the floor, back up against the wall. Her chin was tilted up and her eyes were skewed shut. She pulled her hands into herself, pressing them against her chest. Her desk chair had been flipped over and now lay on its side on the floor a few feet away from her. Barry came closer and noticed that her whole body was shivering. The cuffs on her wrists were plugged into their charger. She held it there tightly as to ensure herself it was working._

 _"I-I'm sorry," Caitlin said. Her stare landed on the desk, where she was working. The keyboard had a layer of frost on top of it. However, it was already melting and there wasn't much damage other than that. Slowly, she moved her eyes to Barry's and explained, "I have to keep the cuffs charged. I promise, it won't happen again."_

 _Barry reached a hand out to comfort her but she flinched at his touch. Still, he continued but at a slower rate. He pulled her into his warm embrace and held her there. Her cheek rested on his chest. After a few minutes, Caitlin stopped shivering._

 _"Don't tell," Caitlin whispered, voice young. Barry rubbed her back and promised he wouldn't. Anything to help ease her fear._

"We still have to find her. She's still…sick," Barry said. The others nodded. Cisco saw the pain in Barry's expression and felt some regret for yelling at him earlier. That hadn't solved any problems. It wouldn't bring back his brother and it wouldn't bring back Caitlin either.


End file.
